PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT THE TRNC ON ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to pay a one-day visit to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on next Saturday, Nov. 15. Erdogan is expected to attend ceremonies to mark the TRNC’s 20th anniversary and to meet with President Rauf Denktas and Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu as well as opposition leaders. Diplomatic sources point to the importance of Erdogan’s visit to the island in the runup to TRNC general elections set for Dec. 14. During his meetings with political leaders, Erdogan reportedly will signal that Ankara does not favor any political party above others. /Turkiye/
ERDOGAN MEETS WITH FINNISH FOREIGN MINISTER
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met yesterday with visiting Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja to discuss Turkey’s European Union membership bid, among other issues. “We’re in favor of giving a date to Turkey in 2004 to start its accession talks,” said Tuomioja. “But the Cyprus issue should be solved before you become a member.” Referring to a recent Greek government statement that “Ankara’s road to the EU goes through Cyprus,” Erdogan said, “This approach is not honest. Solving the Cyprus problem is not included in the Copenhagen criteria.” Erdogan also met yesterday with Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. /Hurriyet/
GUL REPORTEDLY TAKEN ABACK BY EU INCLUSION OF CYPRUS ISSUE
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was reportedly taken aback and irritated by inclusion of the Cyprus issue in the European Commission’s Progress Report on Turkey released this week, according to government sources. Based on a telephone call with EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen prior to the report’s release, say the sources, Gul had not expected mention of the issue in the report’s Strategy Paper. According to the sources, Gul’s sentiments run along these lines: “The mention of Cyprus makes no sense. We’ve said repeatedly we are doing the best we can to solve the issue. We couldn’t reach an agreement with Verheugen. Proceeding the way he wants would actually leave us further from a resolution.” /Hurriyet/
VERHEUGEN: “TURKEY’S WILL FOR REFORMS SHOULD NOT BE BROKEN”
Debates about European Union membership in Turkey should not break Turkey’s will to enact reforms, said EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen yesterday. “This issue should not be turned into a tool to win elections [in Europe],” Verheugen also told German daily Die Zeit. Verheugen also stated that though resolving the Cyprus issue would boost Turkey’s EU chances, it would not be a guarantee. /Sabah/
US MILITARY PLAN FORESEES NO TURKISH TROOP IN IRAQ
A new Pentagon planning document proposes reducing US troop levels in Iraq with the help of more native Iraqi and foreign forces, but not Turkish soldiers. In the force allocation plan, presented to the US Congress yesterday by Joint Chiefs of Staff Deputy Chairman Gen. Peter Pace, a reduction of US troops in Iraq from 132,000 to 100,000 by next May is proposed. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters that he was counting on a total of 24,000 troops under British and Polish command staying in Iraq through next year. But no mention was made of Turkey, whereas earlier a Turkish division had been hoped for. “This proves that US officials have given up on Turkish troops coming, although they stress that work on the issue is continuing,” said one diplomatic source. /All Papers/
US STATE DEPARTMENT HAILS EU REPORT AS “POSITIVE, OBJECTIVE DOCUMENT SHOWING TURKEY’S PROGRESS”
The new European Union Progress Report on Turkey shows the nation’s progress towards EU membership, said US State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli yesterday. “We do strongly support Turkey's European aspirations, and specifically Turkey's bid to receive a date to open EU accession negotiations at the December 2004 European Council," said Ereli. "We welcome the report released by the European Commission today that describes Turkey's progress to date toward fulfilling the criteria for opening EU accession talks. We believe the report is a positive and objective assessment of Turkey's progress and we congratulate Turkey and encourage them to continue to implement the reforms needed to meet the criteria." Asked about the report’s section on the Cyprus issue, Ereli said that a resolution should be reached on the island by next May, when Greek Cyprus is scheduled to join the Union. In related news, Irish Foreign Minister Bertie Ahern, in talks with Greek Cypriot Leader Tassos Papadopoulos yesterday, said that the island’s issues should be resolved within the framework of the United Nations’ Cyprus plan. Ahern added that Turkey’s EU bid was not related to Cyprus, but that a resolution on the island would be invaluable. Ireland is set to take over the EU’s rotating term presidency from Italy in January. /Cumhuriyet/
EUROPEAN COMMISSION’S KRETSCHMER: “AN OPPOSITION VICTORY IN CYPRUS WOULD BOOST BOTH HOPES FOR A RESOLUTION AND TURKEY’S EU BID”
Hanjoerg Kretschmer, European Commission representative in Turkey, said yesterday that he believed Ankara was determined to resolve the Cyprus issue, but that it was waiting for the results of next month’s general elections in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). He added that if opposition parties were to prevail, this would pave the way for a resolution on the island. Kretschmer further stated that he was optimistic that the issue would be resolved by next May, when Greek Cyprus is set to join the EU, adding that if Turkey quickly fulfills the Copenhagen criteria then it could begin its EU accession talks by the end of next year. In December 2004 the EU is set to decide whether or not to begin these talks. /Cumhuriyet/
ITALIAN AIR FORCE COMMANDER VISITS ANKARA
Air Forces Commander Gen. Ibrahim Firtina yesterday received his visiting Italian counterpart Lie. Gen. Sandro Ferracuti to discuss a number of issues. Following their meetings, the two commanders said that they had discussed joint projects and searched for ways to strengthen bilateral relations. /Aksam/